Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.

Do you think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In the modern world, it is said by many peoples that all universities student courses should include a period of some time studying in different country or daoing a work placement there. I agree that it is beneficial for peers to go abroad during his course. But there are some disadvantages too, which cannot be overlooked.

On the one hand, to begin with the advantages there is no denying that including a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement can bring numerous benefits. If students are taken to different country during his degree than one can definately uplift their knowledge by intracting with teachers and students of similar course, they can learn many new things and share their thoughts with each other.

Furthermore, not only undergraduates are benefitted from this practice of universities. In fact, it brings a lot of merits to the universities also, as they will get global and local recogintion, as a result there are chances that students can be influenced and will take admission to indian universities who offer abroad study opportunities. Moreover, their revenue will increase and they can use that moeny for further reserches and to provide facilities to students.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages too that we cannot forget, there is no doubt that involving abroad study tour is beneficial for students but at the same time it can be disadvantegeous too. As going abroad needs a substenqually high funds and university will never bear all the expenses for travel, accomodation, transport, flight tickets, etc. Hence, some students will miss the chance due to insufficient funds.

All in all, involving a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement is a great way to help student to gain more knowledge and experience. But it is not achievable for poor sections of country as they barely have money to study in their country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, and a clear position is maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding university revenue is a bit tangential to the core issue of student experience. The explanation of the financial burden is relevant but could be more deeply explored with specific examples of how universities might mitigate these costs. The conclusion restates the position but does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with clear, logical reasoning rather than just stating the benefits or drawbacks.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'All in all' are used to signal the progression of ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences is slightly disjointed. For example, the transition between the benefits for students and the benefits for universities could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'one' and 'their' in the second paragraph, which creates minor confusion regarding the subject.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors ('daoing', 'intracting', 'recogintion', 'moeny', 'reserches', 'substenqually', 'accomodation') and word choice inaccuracies ('peoples' instead of 'people', 'uplift their knowledge' instead of 'enhance their knowledge'). While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on mastering the spelling of common academic terms and using more precise collocations. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to express the main points, but it lacks the sophistication required for higher band scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('all universities student courses', 'undergraduates are benefitted'), incorrect pronoun usage ('his degree'), and awkward phrasing ('involving abroad study tour'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices in the fourth paragraph. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently and demonstrate a lack of control over more complex structures. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve the clarity of the writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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